In October 1931, a small group of young adults from Manitowoc, WI announced their intention to form an amateur dramatic society. Fifteen would-be thespians attended the first meeting on October 23, which was held at Lincoln High School. The group entitled themselves the Manitowoc Masquers but soon changed this designation to the Lakeshore Masquers upon taking in another group of actors from nearby Two Rivers. Still later, the group was reorganized and incorporated under the name of The Masquers, Inc.
Their first play, THE WHOLE TOWN’S TALKING, was presented on December 16, 1931 at Lincoln High School and was a benefit performance to aid the Community Chest. Masquers’ second play was a comedy called YOU AND I and was produced at the Capitol Theatre.
Meetings and rehearsals were held in homes, schoolrooms, banks and church halls until a room was rented in the old Windiate Rooming House at 6th and York. This building was razed during the 1970’s to make way for the Medical Arts Building. Sets were built in various places including members’ garages.
Plays continued to be produced at Lincoln High School, but in 1941 productions were moved to the Washington Jr. High School auditorium. Sets were also built and stored there, in the gymnasium. It wasn’t until an early musical production, THE MERRY WIDOW, was presented in 1959 that Masquers moved to Woodrow Wilson Jr. High School, which became our home until 1987 when the Capitol Civic Centre opened its newly renovated doors for use by community groups.
In March of 1944, the Coach House next to the Rahr-West Civic Center was purchased from Mrs. Reinhart Rahr. The building was remodeled to provide storage space for scenery and costumes, a meeting and rehearsal room, and a room for building sets. At that point, Masquers’ ultimate dream was to remodel the Coach House further to create a 300-seat auditorium. Masquers’ first play program after the purchase of the Coach House carried the familiar Masquer logo, which we retain today. Incidentally, ticket prices at that time were only $.65 for adults and $.35 for students.
Through the years, The Masquers, Inc. has been possessed of community spirit, from that first benefit performance to today’s scholarships that are presented to three students of the arts each year. At various times we have also had traveling shows or readers’ theatre productions available for civic organizations at no charge. The group has also made many donations to worthwhile enterprises such as the Peter Quince Performing Co., the Manitowoc Public Library, and other community functions.
Masquers’ is now in it’s 80th season and finds the group still going strong. We always welcome new members to our organization and would invite anyone over 18 to join Masquers and become a part of the Manitowoc theatre scene. We hope our next 78 years will be as exciting and fulfilling as the first!